Holiday Treat Traditions Around the World

Holiday Treat Traditions Around the World by Jane Roseen

When the holidays come around, it always seems as if there are treats galore! The stores quickly fill up with egg nog, wasail ingredients, and chocolate shaped into just about every shape imaginable. But this year, how about looking at the more traditional holiday treats to spice up your gatherings. By focusing on the traditional and meaningful instead of the gaudy and commercial, you may find that you introduce your family and friends to treats that they love to both eat and discuss.

In Austria, families traditionally spend Christmas Eve together, starting the evening with a church service. Following church, they gather for a traditional dinner. While their main course of Gebackener Karpfen, or fried carp, may not suit everyone’s fancy, their dessert of Sachertorte may indeed. Sachertore is a chocolate and apricot cake; the richness of the cake is determined by the depth and quality of the chocolate used.The cake is then frosted traditionally with chocolate frosting, creating a delectable treat for almost any palate.

When December 6th reaches Germany, they celebrate the evening with St. Nicholas coming to all the children. For the good children comes a shoe or boot full of delicious chocolates, cookies, and other treats. This just starts the holiday season. On Christmas Eve, each family member receives a plate of all kinds of treats, including fruit, nuts, marzipan, chocolate, and cookies.These treats are sure to bring sweet dreams for Christmas morning!

Mexico celebrates the holiday season with La Posadas, which marks the journey of Mary and Joseph from Nazareth to Bethlehem. Starting on December 16th, this celebration takes place each night with people going from door to door, singing traditional songs and asking for admittance for Mary. When the door is opened, everyone celebrates and the children enjoy the tradition of the piñata.The piñata is a brightly colored container made of either pottery (traditionally) or paper (in modern times) filled with all sorts of treats for the children. One by one, the children are blindfolded and try to hit the piñata with a stick. Finally, the piñata breaks and everyone celebrates by devouring the delicious candies and treats.

And in France comes probably one of the most indulgent treats, the sabots. Traditionally, the sabots were wooden shoes that the peasants wore. On Christmas Eve, the children would put their sabots in front of the fire in hopes that they would awaken to sabots filled with treats. In modern France, however, wooden shoes are obviously not as prevalent.Instead, sabots are made of chocolate by pastry shops and filled with all sorts of candies.Obviously, these are no longer set in front of the fire.

For your next holiday gathering, why not pick a traditional theme and impart both delicious food and knowledge upon your guests.They will in all likelihood be thrilled not to rehash the same tired holiday offerings.

Jane S. Roseen is the Owner and President of Harmony Sweets, an international gourmet chocolate shop. Harmony Sweets’ mission focuses on individual consumers purchasing gourmet chocolates from around the world for their friends and relatives, as well as corporate gift giving. Gourmet chocolate gift baskets and personalized chocolates are also available. Website: http://www.harmonysweets.com

Article Source: ArticleRich.com

 

Christmas – Pagan Origins

Christmas – Pagan Origins by Brigitte Smith

The Winter Solstice was traditionally celebrated on December 21 in the northern hemisphere. Well before the birth of Jesus, ancient peoples marked the Winter Solstice with celebrations and rejoicing that the coldest part of the year was behind them. From December 22, the days start to lengthen and the days gradually get warmer.

Christmas celebrations are, to some extent, the modern day equivalent of the Winter Solstice celebrations.

The actual birth of Jesus is widely believed not to have occurred in December. Nevertheless, the celebrations of Jesus’s birth occur on approximately the same day as the Winter Solstice. Christmas now serves as the mid-winter celebration for the northern hemisphere. Of course, in the southern hemisphere, Christmas falls in mid summer – at approximately the time of the Summer Solstice.

Saturnalia was also a celebration of the Winter Solstice that occurred in ancient pagan Rome. Saturnalia was celebrated in honor of the god of agriculture, named Saturn. During the time of Saturnalia, servants and peasants spend time with and celebrate the holiday with people of higher classes, which certainly did not occur throughout the rest of the year. The Saturnalia festival in itself could last as long as a week in Rome. During that time, people rejoiced all over Rome. The phrase ‘eat, drink, and be merry’ was played out to its fullest.

So celebrations at the time of the Winter Solstice were well established prior to the birth of Jesus. But what about some specific Christmas traditions with which we’re all familiar?

Do you think the Christmas tree originated as a Christian tradition? Well, think again – In Scandinavia during the Winter Solstice, men and their sons used to go in to the woods to cut a tree down. After the tree had been felled, a nicely sized log was cut out of it, and the men would carry the log back to the home. This log was dubbed a Yule Log, and the Yule log was burned in the fireplace. The entire time the Yule log burned, the family would feast. Again, this was a Winter Solstice tradition rather than a specifically Christian tradition. Often, the Scandinavian Yule log might burn for a whole twelve days! Nowadays the Yule log is represented in the form of an iced log-shaped cake, and is associated with the Christian Christmas experience.

As the Yule log burned it sent sparks out of the hearth and as the sparks flew out of the fire place, the family would count the sparks, as they believed that each spark represented a farm animal that would be born on their property that year. These beliefs have little to do with Christmas beliefs and celebrations, but the Yule log is now firmly associated with Christmas in the minds of many.

Even the Christmas story is thought by some to have been influenced by a pagan myth. But despite that, the story itself and all the traditions which have come to be associated with it form a firm part of the Christmas experience of millions, both in the northern and southern hemispheres. So whether you celebrate Christmas in the snow, or on the beach, you’re likely to identify Christmas with Christmas trees, Yule logs, lots of food, and family time.

For Christmas Gift ideas, as well as information on Christmas recipes, Christmas ornaments, Christmas carols, and Christmas traditions, Christmas stockings, and more, Your Christmas Gift Idea has it all!

Article Source: http://www.articlerich.com

 

Christmas in Germany

Childhood Memories of Christmas in Germany by Jane Roseen

My grandparents migrated from Germany long before I was even a twinkle in my father’s eye. My father was two at the time and doesn’t remember much of his life in Germany. My grandmother, though, has always stayed in touch with her brothers and sisters remaining in Germany and often longed for a Christmas spent with her family back home. When I was eight, my father made that wish come true for her.

I can still remember the look on my grandmother’s face that when my father told her that he was taking her and his family to Germany for two weeks at Christmas (my grandfather had passed the year prior). She had never managed to be in Germany at Christmas time since she left, she always spent Christmas with my grandfather, my father, and our family. She started exclaiming all sorts of things in German and hugging my father, sobbing the whole time.

We arrived in Germany on December 23rd. I was exhausted, but I couldn’t sleep as my grandmother kept poking me awake, trying to get me to look at all the decorations in her hometown. I said to her that I thought everything looked rather plain – I was used to the bright lights and almost garish decorations of home. She just laughed, and told me to look closer. When I did, I realized how beautiful everything was, and how very GREEN. There were boughs of fir and pine everywhere. Most were tied on with big red bows, and candles were lit in every window. I was in awe.

We reached her sister’s home; we’d be staying with various relatives throughout the two weeks. It was the last Sunday of Advent, and my great aunt asked me to light the Advent candle for the evening. I was so honored – my parents never let me anywhere NEAR our Advent wreath at home. I remember being very nervous that I would drop the lighting candle and catch the wreath on fire.

Christmas Eve, we went to my grandmother’s childhood church. I remember her weeping throughout the service. I asked my father why my grandmother was so sad. He told me that it was a combination of happy that she was home again, and sad that my grandfather couldn’t be there to spend the time with her. I slid across the pew to give my grandmother a hug.

When we returned home from church, I saw a room open that had previously been shut. I thought it was just a spare bedroom or something, until I saw the glow coming from the Christmas tree. It was glorious. They used real candles on the tree, and the presents were so beautifully wrapped. That’s an image I’ll never forget.

After the presents came a feast. I must confess that many of the foods were so different for me that I didn’t enjoy it as much as I should have. The goose was quite good, and then I loved the marzipan fruits, cookies, and chocolates.

We stayed in Germany through the Feast of the Epiphany, leaving on January 7th. I met so many family members in those weeks, many of which I haven’t spoken to since. My grandmother passed away three months later. My father always said that she was just waiting to be able to spend one more Christmas in Germany. All I know is that Christmas in Germany is one I will never forget.

Jane S. Roseen is the Owner and President of Harmony Sweets, an international gourmet chocolate shop. Harmony Sweets’ mission focuses on individual consumers purchasing gourmet chocolates from around the world for their friends and relatives, as well as corporate gift giving. Gourmet chocolate gift baskets and personalized chocolates are also available. Website: http://www.harmonysweets.com

Article Source: ArticleRich.com